LUCID STEAD | ART INSTALLATION IN THE CALIFORNIAN DESERT

The combination of a light installation / an artistic intervention and the California High Desert is certainly one to attract attention because deserts are not usually popular choices with artists when it comes to exhibiting their work. That, of course, does not apply to California-based artist Philip K. Smith III who has recently finished a unique art installation called The Color of Solitude: Lucid Stead which stands right in the middle of the California High Desert, near the town of Joshua Tree. The artist used an old deserted shack as a playground for light and shadow. His intention was to create an optical illusion of transparency which he did with the shack radiating light as the Sun sets and its doors and windows turning into colour segments, changing their nuances at an ephemeral pace.

How did Smith manage to turn this stagnant facility into a dynamic piece of art? He replaced every other sideboard and openings on the shack with mirrored glass. The installation also comes alive with the help of electronic equipment, LED lighting, and Arduino programming. During the day, Lucid Stead is a static reflective entity, but come night, it transforms into a vibrant colourful object with a luminescent presence. The Lucid Stead installation changes the dynamic of the desert depending on the time of the day, while, despite its alien context, blending perfectly into the desert without infringing on its peacefulness and environment.

Smith says about his installation, “Lucid Stead is about tapping into the quiet and the pace of change of the desert. When you slow down and align yourself with the desert, the project begins to unfold before you. It reveals that it is about light and shadow, reflected light, projected light, and change.”

It is interesting to note that people from all over the U.S. (as far as New York City) and Canada have traveled to the California High Desert to experience their personal perception of the Lucid Stead installation. [via] watch video below